USask explores innovative soil carbon mapping research

Led by Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD), the dean of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Agriculture and Bioresources, these projects – supported by the Government of Saskatchewan-administered 2025 Agriculture Development Fund (ADF)– will help Saskatchewan producers better understand and predict the carbon distribution in soil.

“Soil carbon is a really essential component of what we measure in soil, because it’s an important indicator of soil health and the soil organic matter itself serves as both a source of nutrients as well as a sponge that allows soil to hold on to both water and nutrients,” Bedard-Haughn said.

Bedard-Haughn notes that it is important to have detailed information on current and potential future soil carbon levels so producers can make deliberate decisions on soil health, crop production and management practices in their fields.

“It’s important for us to understand where we are right now so we know how our land management practices affect soil organic matter over time,” she said. “We need a baseline measurement. It’s similar to checking your blood pressure – we have to track it over time. Taking a one-off measurement isn’t going to be enough.”

The first of the projects, titled “Mapping Soil Carbon Sequestration in Saskatchewan Cropland,” will use a combination of in-the-field, remote sensing and predictive mapping techniques to evaluate carbon levels in the soil. The goals of the project are threefold: to measure and map the levels of carbon currently in the soil; gauge the effects of both land use and climate on the carbon levels in soil; and create predictive models for how carbon levels in soil might change in the future.

To create as fulsome a carbon map as possible, Bedard-Haughn said she and her research team would be using samples collected from Saskatchewan fields in conjunction with machine learning algorithms to build models with as much data as possible. The project received $290,400 from the ADF and industry support from the Saskatchewan Oilseeds Development Commission and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission.

Information from the first project will contribute to a second project titled “A Sustainable Future for the Saskatchewan Soil Information System (SKSIS).” This project will add more data to a digital platform with information about soil health and composition in fields around the province, known as the SKSIS (sksis.ca).

Originally built as a digital repository for soil records collected in the latter part of the 20th century, Bedard-Haughn said the SKSIS has had substantial pickup by producers and agronomists. By adding more pertinent data to the publicly available system, USask researchers can lead the development of another tool for Saskatchewan’s ever-growing and globally influential agricultural industry.

Bedard-Haughn lauded the support of the ADF and noted that this carbon mapping project builds off previous soil carbon work funded by the ADF, helping to create a comprehensive carbon map and predictive model for all agricultural land in Saskatchewan.

“This funding is an important recognition of the importance of soil health for the future of agriculture in this province,” she said.